Will your CCTV system handle 4K cameras?

 

Recently, the security industry has become greedy for all sorts of beautiful gadgets, and the emergence of new technologies is usually accompanied by a noticeable hype. Which often prevents many of us from objectively assessing the need to introduce new items.

4K is the standard for television equipment, four times the resolution of the upper level of the high-definition standard Full HD 1080p. In the film industry, its introduction marks a shift towards crystal-clear images and extremely accurate detail. With a pixel resolution of 4096 x 2160, the 4K format provides a number of advantages when used in video surveillance systems: reducing the total number of cameras Pasang CCTV Murah, the ability to zoom images without pixelating details, etc. It is quite natural that end users, having learned about the existence of a new standard, consider the possibility of its implementation in their practice.

However, a thorough study of the technical characteristics and features of the standard allows us to conclude that it will not be possible to take and simply connect a 4K camera to a video surveillance system: in addition to upgrading the cameras, you will have to thoroughly modernize the system itself. At the very least, you need to be prepared for this.

Will your CCTV system handle 4K cameras?
Data storage, display and transmission over the network

Additional pixels in an image mean larger file sizes and video stream speeds, and a corresponding increase in digital storage consumption. It is from this point of view that you need to analyze your system - will it cope with the additional (and quite considerable) load?

When using the H.264 codec, a 4K encoded video stream (also called Ultra HD) has a bitrate of at least 12 Mbps, while a standard Full HD 1080p video stream is only 4 Mbps. To use images in "high" resolution - otherwise what is the point of purchasing Ultra HD-equipment - you will have to thoroughly load the entire path of the formation and transmission of the video signal, from the camera to the recording equipment.

The transmission of 4K images over communication lines such as ADSL becomes impossible at full frame rate, and "gags" will be observed even when using 1 Gigabit Ethernet. For reliable transmission of 4K video streams, use 40 Gigabit Ethernet connections. If your network is designed for lower bitrates, you can sit down to calculate the additional costs of upgrading your network infrastructure.

But that's not all: take a close look at the graphics adapter of the workstation on which you intend to view 4K images. Will the video card cope with the increased data flow? And if we are talking not about one, but about several streams that need to be displayed simultaneously?

Suppose you have somehow solved the issue of transferring images over the network. Now let's see how the video streams will be recorded. Quadrupling pixel resolution means exactly the same increase in storage requirements. Therefore, it is better to opt for a camera that supports a highly efficient codec - at least H.264: this will significantly reduce the amount of transmitted data. It should be noted that more powerful codecs require more computing power from the on-board camera processors, and not all manufacturers are able to provide this in fact, that is, in round-the-clock operation at full load.

Let's say all issues within your system have been resolved. Everything works great, is recorded and played back. Now suppose you need to transfer video footage to third parties, say, your local police department. On the one hand, the materials are very valuable: the increased visibility of scene details will allow law enforcement officers to establish the smallest details of the incident recorded on video. On the other hand, are you sure that the police will be able to view these images with the means at their disposal? The same is the case with the provision of video recordings to the judicial authorities as material evidence. To take full advantage of the new standard, the court will have to first knock out funding for a 4K-capable viewing monitor. This can take months, if not years.